Page 670 - Economia Azul - versão: inglês

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MARITIME TRANSPORT AND PORT

INFRASTRUCTURE:
AN ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE

Newton Narciso Pereira

1. Introduction

In 1778, in the book The Wealth of Na- More precisely, Robles (2021) explains
tions, economist Adam Smith stated that that the maritime economy is a branch of
nations that had direct interaction with the transport economy and refers to the
the sea would have greater possibilities of waterway transport markets. Some inher-
carrying out the exchange of goods with ent factors of this process are characterized
other countries, thus favoring their devel- in the distance, volume, density, possibility
opment. From an economic point of view, of packing and handling for a determined
the possibility for countries to exchange transport. In this context, maritime trans-
production surpluses using the sea is an port stands out, since one of its main ad-
ancient activity in the history of humani- vantages is to overcome long distances,
ty. Lake, river, and ocean waters have long transport large volumes of cargo, whether
served as an environment for the trans- in solid, liquid, or gaseous bulk, packed in
port of human beings and cargo. Maritime containers, bags, or unitized in pallets, as
transport plays an important role in the well as special project cargo, general cargo
economy of nations, as it operates as an and passengers.
integrator of local, regional, and interna- For this, boats are used as a means of
tional logistics chains. transport in waterways. The development

668 BLUE ECONOMY Maritime Transport and Port Infrastructure 669669
Maritime Transport and Port Infrastructure